(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).
(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).
(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).
(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).
(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).
(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please stay tuned).
TRANSCRIPT
The Israelite’s complaint didn’t seem so bad. All they wanted was a little bit of water. Give us water to drink, they said. Moses’ answer kind of seemed a little harsh, didn’t it? “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” All they wanted was a little water.
Maybe I’ll try that response the next time my kids ask me for a little water, or a toy, or something like that. “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” Seems a little extreme, doesn’t it? I mean, they’re in the desert. All they wanted was a little water.
Moses, though, knows his people better than we do. Moses knows his congregation, as they’re called in verse one. The people he was to shepherd to the promised land. Moses knows there’s more to their request than just a little thirst. It wasn’t just water they wanted, but it was a deeper thirst. They longed for the comforts of Egypt. They had just been released. They were wandering, and they wanted comfort.
The word of the place where we find them in our Old Testament lesson clues us in to what’s going on here. “Rephidim.” That means to give support or to give refreshment. They had come to the place called “refreshment” or “support” and their God had no water for them. They were angered. They wanted comfort, and God had not jumped at their request as they thought he should.
Some god you are!
So it wasn’t just a request for water. Yes, that’s what they asked for, but under that request was a question, accusing God of not being the true God. Moses told the people his name, “I am,” the name that he heard at the burning bush. Now “I am” is worthless to the people. He had let them down. He, apparently, is no better than Egypt, where they had Rephidim. Where they had refreshment.
They said to Moses, “have you brought us and our children and our livestock out here to die?” All they wanted was a little water.
But isn’t that how it always starts? Isn’t that how it just begins? Just a little water, that’s all they wanted. But Moses knows there’s something far more sinister laying under the surface of this seemingly harmless request. There was doubt of God and trust in a false god.
They were looking for comfort from Egypt. They tried to quench their insatiable thirst for righteousness by bowing down and becoming slaves again. It’s a wonder that God didn’t just give them what they wanted. Send them back. Ungrateful people.
Well, the woman too at the well. All she wanted was a little water. But her desires had already drowned her in sin. Just like the Israelites, she too had a deep desire to be taken care of. While Israel had thoughts of finding satisfaction in slavery in Egypt, this woman tried finding satisfaction in multiple husbands. Their sin was the same.
Turning from trust in God, the Great I Am, and the things that he provides and looking to things or people in this life, rather than fearing and trusting in God alone and repenting. St. Paul, in our second reading, says we should rejoice in our suffering.
But what do we do? We suffer a little and we bite, we scratch, and we scream, “How dare you God?”
Jesus came to the well too and what did He ask for? All He wanted was a little water. There, though, was the Samaritan woman. And she, of course, is suspicious. “This is not how things normally work, how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”
If she’d have known that this was the true God-of-God, Light-of-Light, maybe a more appropriate question is, “how is it that you, true God, even approach me, a dead sinner?”
God appeared to Moses in the bush when Moses was not looking for him. This woman too, running from her sin, perhaps not even knowing it, she is also surprised by the Great I Am. She isn’t nearly as impressed as Moses was when he saw the burning bush. Jesus answered her, “if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”
If you knew.
But, she doesn’t. So she, still not getting Jesus water, she points out the obvious. She doubts God. “You’ve nothing to draw water with. Are you better than our father Jacob who drank from this well, and watered his cows?” Little does she know that this Jew is better than Jacob. This is the very one who put Jacob’s hip out of socket. The one who gave Jacob the name Israel. Little does she know that this Jew knows her better than she realizes.
At this well is just plain water, Jesus says. All the places you’ve been running to find satisfaction, those are all just plain water, Jesus says. Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water I will give will never be thirsty again. The water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
The woman said to him, “sir, give me this water so I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus now makes it evident that even though she doesn’t know Him, He knows her. Even more, and perhaps just a little scary, Jesus knows her better than she knows herself.
And Jesus knows you too. Jesus knows us. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. And where we have maybe become comfortable with sin, Jesus knows. Jesus knows what she and us need, even if we don’t. Jesus even knows how this woman has attempted to quench her thirst, and He knows how you have attempted to quench your thirst as well.
The Samaritan woman tried to quench the same thirst the Israelites had, yet instead of Egypt it was a husband. Call your husband come here. The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “you’re right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’ for you’ve had five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
The woman said back to Jesus, “keep your religion out of my bedroom!” How unloving, Jesus. How unkind. All she wanted was a little comfort, a little security in this world. But Jesus is a better shepherd than we are. This woman had tried, time and time again, to find something to quench her heart and soul. Perhaps she was satisfied for a while. But then she realizes that even to quench her deepest thirst with a gift of God, instead of God himself, is worthless. It must be quenched by God himself.
And so we too run around, we long for Egypt, we long for husbands. We too settle not for mister right, but mister right-now. There’s no shortage of places where we run to quench our most deep thirst.
Or perhaps you’re more holy than the Samaritan woman. Perhaps your sins aren’t as public as hers. Maybe you bed down with your pride and your anger. Gossip – that’s easy to have an affair with, no one even knows it except God.
How about now, with our panicking? The whole world seems to be going out of control. The panic is spreading through this world, searching for God to save them. To cleanse this world. How quickly we as Christians even forget how vulnerable we are to death and financial collapse. How we have become like the woman at the well. Like Israel. Comfortably trusting that we have control over our sin, that we have control over this fallen world, control over finances. And God uses a virus to wake us up.
The Old Testament and the ancient church is familiar with words like quarantine and viruses and diseases. God uses these diseases to teach people about sin. Are you heeding God’s call to repent in all of this madness?
Jesus told the woman at the well, “stop sinning.” Her sin of adultery was like a sickness eating her from the inside. Jesus tells her to stop and He tells you to stop as well. To repent.
What sins do you harbor? Maybe it’s everyone else. Maybe you’re the only one who’s not sick. Your sin will rot you out. If you’re constantly blaming others you’re just like the woman trying to fool God. You’re sicker than you realize. When you’re sick, only a fool would spread their illness. Sin is like that – it spreads.
It effects other people’s spiritual walk. Like this woman, going from one man to the next. Or maybe each man using her and abusing her. Our request for a cure to Coronavirus could be just like the people asked for water. All we want is a cure.
A cure comes, the problem de jour ends, and you are off again, refusing to repent. Refusing to see who it is that tells you today to repent.
Jesus knows your thirst. He knows exactly what you need and that’s why He’s here. He is giving to you today, to the weary. Notice, He did not cast the woman out but called her to come even more unto Him. To trust Him even more. To forsake herself. To forsake her husbands. To trust in Him.
Jesus is the one who shows mercy, not to the proud, not to the angry, not to those who are satisfied. But He shows mercy to the thirsty. He knows what you need and at the font of your baptism He made a promise deeper than any marriage vow. A vow that continues so that death may not even part you from Him.
If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is speaking to you today, you would ask Him to nourish your thirst with His body and blood. Crucified for you. For there is our husband. The one who takes care of us. Who purchased us with His own blood.
So yes, God takes the blame for the lack of refreshment at Rephidim. He didn’t instruct Moses to strike the people, but he said strike the rock. And so yes, God takes the blame. Moses strikes the rock, but not the people. And St. Paul tells us that rock is Christ – not literally, but also not just figuratively. For ultimately, our Lord is struck. And what flows from His side for all people, especially sinners?
The water of eternal life. For you. For me. Yes, Christ takes the blame for the Israelites accusing God for not taking care of them. Christ takes the blame for your grumbling against God, your grumbling against one another. On His body and blood bear the marks of your sin. And He takes them and dies with them.
He is struck by the Father so that you would find Rephidim. Today, hear His absolution – your sins are forgiven. Drink deeply from this well. Let that same water flow from you.
And when your sinful flesh gets you thirsty for the things of this world, when your pride rears it’s ugly head, when you refuse to acknowledge your own sin, when you begin to grumble against the Great I Am, or grumble about your neighbor, return to Him. He will not strike you with His rod. Because what does He say? My rod and my staff, they comfort you.
Confess your sin, for His well never runs out of forgiveness. His body and blood always ready to quench you, even during a pandemic. He knows what you face. The journey is too hard to go it alone. So He will meet you at His well. He will give you what you need and quench your deepest thirst as we wander through this desert together as a congregation, as the people of God scattered throughout the whole world.
Our shepherd brings us into the promised land.
It is quite fitting today that we celebrate the baptism of Sawyer Ann. Baptism is when Christ puts his name on us and tells us, “You have been buried with me and raised to new life with me.” It is great to have a baptism on this day we hear of Jesus’ temptation because this is what happens to Jesus right before our reading today. Jesus is baptized in Matthew chapter 3 and the father says, “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”
After you win at a game or some athletic competition your confidence is often very high and nothing can stop you. In war, soldiers who have won and gone through a battle to arrive at victory, it is they who are often motivated to fight harder. Losing does the opposite, it has a demoralizing effect on us. It makes you want to give up. What about when the game is rigged? Or what about when a team wins but someone comes and says, “You won but it was only because the referee was betting on you to win.” You thought you were successful but in reality it was a mirage, a fake. The Houston Astros have been dealing with this idea. They had won the World Series, many playoff games but now it comes out that they were cheating. Public relations nightmare. Everyone now wonders, were they really the champions? Many players came forward, some ran and hid.
The devil does this to Adam and Eve. They have everything. God had promised them their lives were not just good, but very good. What does the devil do, “Hey things aren’t so great. God cheated you! You can’t trust what God said to you.” They wondered, “Did God cheat us?” Thinking God was not trustworthy Adam and Eve now questioned God’s promise to them and they fell for the temptation. The human race is now plunged into defeat. Adam and Eve ran and hid.
Elijah after he had defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel was victorious. God had sent fire from heaven to burn up the offering even burn up water. The prophets of Baal were slaughtered. Jezebel said, “Let this be done to you Elijah by me.” Elijah ran and hid.
Moses witnesses the crossing of the Red Sea and he doesn’t trust God’s word and strikes the rock instead of following God’s word to speak to the rock.
How about you? Would you run and hide from God after he has given you so much?
Or maybe you don’t have reason to run and hide from God. That’s a common problem in our society now. There is no shame over sin. Adam and Eve had the decency to try and cover their sin our world today so often is proud of their sins. Pride parades they’re called and those who cheer them on are no better. Consider the people who sought Jesus out. They knew shame. The knew they didn’t deserve Jesus. The woman of the flow of blood who would try to sneak just to touch Jesus. The woman at the well only came out at noon when no one would be at the well. The quarantined leper bowed down to Jesus’ feet. Faith sees sin for what it is wicked. This is repentance. Knowing that we deserve the discipline God sends.
Christ now in Matthew 4 has no sin no reason to be ashamed. No reason that his heavenly father would keep anything from him, unlike you he’s done nothing wrong.
Well the devil comes to Jesus after he is baptized, after the Father promises Jesus, “You are my son” what does the devil do? The devil says, “If you are the son of God turn these stones into bread.”
Immediately after Jesus has been told, “You are my beloved son” the comes and says, “Oh yes the father said that but you can’t trust his word. If you really are the son then make bread for yourself.” As soon as Jesus has his victory a the Jordan river the devil tries to take it away. If you really are the son of God you shouldn’t be suffering this way. The devil like an enemy of God comes and tries to steal away the certainty of God’s word.
Jesus was hungry. The devil wanted Jesus to listen to his stomach more than God. But Jesus refuses. Jesus refuses to use his power as true God for his own benefit.
Meaning, Jesus will not make his own bread, he will trust God to give to him when the father sees fit to end Jesus’ fast. This always makes me think about that supposed dilemma when someone says, “If you are starving is it ok to steal food?” Here Jesus teaches us no. You see the world is just like the devil. Most people say, “Yes it’s ok for you to steal bread if you’re hungry because sinning is not as bad as dying of starvation.” The devil tells Jesus, “You can use your power for yourself, don’t trust God.” Jesus though here world rather starve than sin! Jesus sees sin for what it truly is, the wages of sin is death. So would you rather have a full belly and enter hell or an empty belly and go to heaven?
This is the temptation of the devil to Jesus, don’t trust God. That’s his temptation to you as well. Explain away your sins, “I was hungry.” I didn’t know. I was tricked. It was the woman, it was the serpent. All the ways you try to excuse your sins. Have you lost your patience and blamed someone else? Have you cursed and figured they deserved it? Have you been lazy and said, “I’ve worked hard all day, I deserve a break.” Have you excused your sin instead of confessing?
When you blame others or make excuses for your sins of thoughts, words or deeds, you are blaming God. This is why Jesus’ temptation is so wonderful. Jesus doesn’t deserve to be led out to the wilderness and to be deprived of food but he does it anyway because the Holy Spirit led him out there to succeed where we have failed.
Jesus goes out to be tempted so that he may succeed where we have sinned. Where Adam and Eve, Elijah, Moses, you and I have sinned, Jesus doesn’t. as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for fall men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Where we buckle and fold just because we experience a little uncomfortableness Jesus endures. This is what is so important for us to understand about the temptation of Jesus, he endured as our substitute. In a sports game when one team member gets injured another substitute comes in. When that team wins even the player who was injured gets credit for the teams win even if he didn’t even participate in the game. Jesus is our substitute. Everything he did he did for us. Even facing down the devil’s temptations so that we would not be held accountable for our falling for temptations.
Jesus was crucified and died but was raised. This one act is the defining victory for us. He gives that victory to you over and over again. Greater than any team victory greater than any military conquest. Greater than staring down Pharoah and seeing the Red Sea part. Greater than slaying hundreds of prophets of Baal and seeing fire fall from the sky. Greater than seeing the Garden of Eden, your Savior places his body and blood on your lips for the forgiveness of your sins. This fruit reverses the curse of your sin. Where Satan cause the fall with food so now by a new food Christ reverses our death and feeds us life. His baptism is your baptism, God is well pleased with you.
Jesus undergoes his own 40days of Lent to bring you into an eternal Easter. So also we should walk with him through this wilderness disciplining our bodies for the benefit of our neighbor. So that we would change from blaming our neighbor for our sin to helping our neighbor avoid sin. That is in the end what Jesus has done, by his suffering temptation shows us how to escape temptation, knowing and trusting the promises of God.
We have the victory of Jesus and Jesus shows us what to do when the devil tempts us to think we have to give into temptation. The scriptures say, “When you are tempted God will always give you a way out.” Jesus teaches us what the way out is. It is the word of God. Jesus could’ve just used one word to make the devil explode into a million little pieces. If you remember in the gospel when the soldiers come to arrest Jesus, Jesus just says “I am he.” And they are all knocked down to the ground. Jesus doesn’t do that with the devil. What does Jesus do? He says, “It is written…”. Jesus uses what we have. Jesus doesn’t use his power and authority to his advantage even against the devil. This teaches us what a great and powerful thing the word of God is for us. When you are tempted, seek the word of God. Amen
Every once in awhile when traveling I like to grab a memento or artifact from a location I am visiting and want to remember how good it was to be there. Whenever we would travel to Mexico, my grandparents would always buy the Mexican gum from the poor kids in the streets chic-le. I never really liked the gum because it wasn’t as sweet and full of artificial coloring as our American gums. Every time though we went down there we always had the chic-le.
Now when I see that gum, I’m immediately taken back to those trips in Mexico and all the memories. It was good to be there. I still don’t like the gum so much, but it’s chewable in a pinch.
Today Jesus gives us, Peter, James and John a memento, an artifact, a souvenir of sorts, “he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” But what trip were they about to embark on and why would they need this memento?
The Transfiguration of Jesus is the memento for the disciples because Jesus is about to look anything but godly. Jesus is about to suffer at the hands of men and die for sinners. Jesus will not look like any sort of god we might want to follow. He will bleed. He will be scorned. He will die, naked and alone.
Would you like to follow this god? Is it good to be there with him? Is this a trip you would like to go on with the disciples? We know the end of the story. We know Jesus is raised, but consider what they saw. What would they take from Good Friday and the Saturday that followed?
Their only memento or souvenir was certain death themselves. They will hide to save their own lives. No matter how glorious life is sometimes even seeing miracles is not enough to sustain your faith.
Life this side of heaven will never be perfect but every once in a while we see glimmers of joy. God many times in our lives peels back and gives us a reminder of what his promises are. Every so often maybe on vacation or a day when you realize how blessed you really are. A good day at work. A sudden realization that we are blessed by God beyond measure and what did we do to deserve these things?
Every so often God gives a peak, we see that our kids are truly blessings. Our spouses are a great helpmate to us. Even folks we sometimes disagree with, there are moments when all in life is great. Our Lord is on his way to his cross and he gives Peter, James and John a peak into his promise that he is truly God.
Peter of course is willing to speak up. Peter is like the one in the tour group always wanting to impress the tour guide with his knowledge and dedication to the subject at hand. At the top of the mountain Peter isn’t ready for the trip to continue, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Peter knows the world down on the bottom of the mountain is not as good. Peter wants to stay. Can you blame him?
Cant we stay a little longer Lord? That last day on vacation or the last day of summer and there looms the next day. Dad, can we stay here on vacation forever? Our Lord will not stay on the mountain and neither will Peter. They both need to pick up their crosses and lose their lives. Only then will true glory be seen. Not with eyes that cry and lament. Eyes that see pain and suffering and fear the threats of politicians and wicked people but eyes that see by faith.
For in this life our sinful nature doesn’t want to journey with Jesus. Sure we like it when being a Christian is easy. When we don’t suffer. When it doesn’t cost us anything to faithful. But that is not Christianity. You are fooling yourself if you think picking up your cross and following Jesus means not having to swallow your pride and apologize to someone even when you know you are right.
It is foolishness to think life in this world will not come with heartache and difficult times. But does it have to be so hard sometimes? Yes. Yes it does. This is how God conforms you into the image of his son so you will learn to despise your sinfulness and this world, which is the kingdom of the devil and begin to see the glory that it is to lose your life for your neighbor and Christ.
I think we have fallen in love with the kingdom of the devil. We don’t want to face hardship because we don’t want to fall out of love with the devil’s kingdom. We’re like Peter, we’re afraid to live by faith. We’re afraid of coming off the mountain. We’re like children on vacation that suggest to mom and dad, “Hey let’s live here on the beach every day!” No. I’m sorry that’s not real. We are to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus.
But how can we desire to die to our selves when we think the devil is offering us life here in this fallen world? How will you die to yourself if you are in love with yourself?
So it is when God shows us little peaks into glory it so that we might see He will deliver to us so much more if we remain faithful. He who gives up his life will find it. Jesus had to come off the Mt. of Transfiguration because a glorious god who doesn’t pick up his cross doesn’t save us. The devil won’t die for you. Your sinful nature won’t die for your sins. They are content to leave you with your sins as long as you enjoy a few minutes in this fallen world. The transfiguration tells you who it is that is willing to die for you. It is God himself. The unapproachable light takes human flesh so that he might approach us and be killed for our love of self and the devil’s world. Jesus came born of Mary, it was no vacation but he picked up your sins as his own. The devil offered him everything but he would rather purchase you. And he did, with his own precious blood.
In the midst of what hurts us and causes to suffer here, Jesus is with us. Jesus doesn’t forsake us. In a way the Transfiguration was a memento an artifact that reminded the disciples of something greater. The transfiguration was great but it was never meant to be the end all of how God desired his people to see him.
We can’t travel to the cross, we can’t go to the Mt. of Transfiguration, well I guess we could attempt to find the mountain but we can’t go back to the event. We can’t tour and witness the event. Peter now recognizes this in his epistle. He knows the Transfiguration can’t happen again. He knows the cross won’t happen again. We don’t need to re-crucify nor re-transfigure Jesus. Peter says we have something more sure, “the word.” That’s where Peter directs us, the word of God.
This Sunday is the marking of the end of Epiphany and the notice that this Wed Lent begins. Today as you ponder the light of Christ consider also how you might fast this Lent. Following Lent is a spiritual discipline. A discipline of receiving righteousness from God. We often pick up things from the world in sin that make us less receptive to the Holy Spirit. Lenten fasting is an opportunity to fast from something so you might desire Jesus more.
Lent is a chance for you to let go of some of the souvenirs you’ve picked up from the devil’s kingdom and be forgiven. That Jesus might call you to his mountain here and put his body and blood in you. It is good to be with Jesus. It is good to remember all the souvenirs he gives us, baptism and his body and blood. These are not of this world but is Jesus reaching down to you forgiving you and saying, “Rise and have no fear.”
We long for the fleeting things of this world and here is Jesus, his body his blood, more than a faint memory but real presence. We desire and fight for our opinions and possessions more than Jesus and what does he do? HE forgives us with the most glorious gift, his body and blood. He strengthens us to stay faithful, he says rise and have no fear. He shines his love in us by cleansing us from all sin.
This is where other churches get the Lord’s supper wrong. They think it only a souvenir from a long ago memory, “Wouldn’t it be great if Jesus was here but he’s stuck in heaven.” No. The Lord’s Supper succeeds where every souvenir, memento fails. Jesus is actually here bringing the forgiveness of his cross to you. Jesus is here, the very same one who shines brighter than the sun. Jesus the bright and morning star is placed on your lips, his body and blood to strengthen you. His flesh concealed the mystery of the incarnation, the bread and wine conceal the mystery of his presence with us. So that you may daily hear him say, “Rise and have no fear.”
It’s been quite the fad these last few years where people have safe spaces. Areas where you can’t criticize a person for their personal beliefs and opinions. Made popular on our countries so called places of higher education. Safe spaces. A place where you can be wrong with no consequences for your beliefs. A college student believes in abortion and you tell them a unborn child can feel pain and they say, “Be quiet you can’t speak in my safe space.” Someone believes marriage and divorce is of no consequence. Jesus says there are grave consequences.
Today God isn’t so concerned about political safe spaces, but to consider where do we try to find safe spaces with sin?
Today God invades your safe space. God encroaches upon your personal space. God breaks into your circle of trust. God knows your thoughts. He hears your heart and today Jesus says, It aint pretty.
You see it appears that many people in Jesus’ day thought that they could be angry with someone and not forgive them. As long as they didn’t physically harm the person they weren’t breaking the 5th commandment. Their mind was their safe space from God that they could harbor thoughts of anger and think, “Well I didn’t act on it so I’m safe from sin.”
Men thought they could gaze upon a woman with lust and as long as they didn’t touch they were safe from the sixth commandment. This goes for women too who would lust after a man.
All other religions would congratulate you on not acting. What self control. What chivalry! How well behaved. They wanted to commit adultery, but didn’t. Isn’t that a great accomplishment? Shouldn’t that account for something? Jesus says, “Pathetic.” “Lost” “Liable to the judgement of God and being sent to hell.”
For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
How’s that for a safe space? Christianity is all about finding a true safe space, not a safe space of pride or anger, but a safe space that rescues us not only from our outward sin, but also those sins we may think aren’t so bad. In Christ Jesus is our safe space, or rather forgiveness, complete forgiveness.
And so Jesus today is asking us to consider what we might consider our safe spaces. Do you talk about people when they aren’t around when you should speak highly of them? Commonly known as gossip. You might say, “I don’t say anyone’s name pastor…or I was just kidding.” Jesus says if you just think ill of your neighbor.
This even applies to social media. Do you lament people openly on Facebook or Twitter war?
Do you lust for that which God has not given you? You all have safe spaces. Places where you would claim no sins, no faults.
Look what Jesus says in verse 23, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. “
Jesus says don’t even try to offer God a sacrifice if you aren’t reconciled to your fellow man. God doesn’t just approve of a sacrifice just because you do it. God cares about your heart. “If someone has something against you”. Jesus here is destroying this notion that outward behavior is the only standard for sin. It goes much deeper. Sure you have friends in your circle of trust, your safe space, and every once in a while you have a little disagreement and make up. That’s easy. Jesus wants to set the stage though for you and God. What about your enemies? Do they have something against you?
Usually we might be tempted to think, “If they have a problem, they should come and talk to me.” Jesus says no. You must leave your safe space of thinking you’re innocent and be reconciled! You must abandon your safety net of thinking you have nothing to confess yourself. Isn’t it the case so often when someone sins against us we really notice it? However when we’re the ones who sin we like to trivialize it. “I’m not perfect but you did this…” Did you hear how Jesus described the wickedness of sin? Your neighbors sins don’t blot out yours. All sin is wicked and deserving of hell. The fact that we’re willing to trivialize our sins shows that there’s something terribly wrong with us.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. Jesus says this twice! That’s how wicked sin is. And Jesus’ point is that you could cut out eyes, cut off your hands but really cutting off body parts won’t save you from hell. The old carpenter joke, cut it twice and it’s still too short. My grandfather always said that and I think I’ve finally found a theological point for that!
Cut it twice and it’s still too short. You cutting yourself will do nothing. You sacrificing your body will do nothing for your sins because God has something against you.
That’s the crux of the matter. Who of us could give a sacrifice? Jesus is pointing us to himself. For it is only he who was without sin. It is only Jesus who can say there is nothing against him. Jesus was perfect. Jesus didn’t need a safe space. He was willing to let God invade his heart. For God to measure his life.
This is why we come here to God’s house to first confess our sins. To leave our safe space. We say to God, “Forget our body parts oh God, we deserve to be wholly cut off from you. There is nothing in us that is good. We have sinned against you in thought word and deed.” Don’t play around with that confession my friends it’s serious business. Sure we sometimes might read through it without thinking but that’s not the problem of the liturgy. That’s you!
So drop your safe space. Stop claiming innocence. The devil is the accuser God is the judge. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
How is it that we could pay to God enough for our sins? What will you give to God? Jesus has paid the last penny on the cross. God sent his son not to condemn the world, but to save the world. Jesus intentionally gave up his innocence and took your guilt. The cross is the opposite of a safe space.
Jesus speaks so harshly today so that we would turn from sin. That we would be disgusted by sin, not so much everyone else’s but first our own. Jesus speaks so harshly about the depth of our sins so that we would know how complete his forgiveness is. Yes Jesus even forgives the wicked thoughts you have had. All of it wiped clean by his cross. He has purchased you from your sin, from the devil our accuser has been silenced. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
When Jesus baptized you he promised you a safe space in him. A place of freedom from worry. Freedom from sin. Yes we do have a safe space in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
God has invaded our safe space this last week with the death of our dear sister in Christ Charlene. Our safe space of maybe taking for granted our time with each other. Our safe space of thinking life will just go on as it is. Our sister Charlene is truly now safe. She is safe from sickness. Safe from even her own sin. She has run her race. We are still here, though the day you will see Christ is closer today than it was yesterday. Do not look for safe spaces in this life except where Christ’s forgiveness is found, his word and sacrament. Do not neglect to be reconciled with others. Paul warns against the safe places of the flesh, jealousy and strife. Let that not be the case for you.
Let God water you by his forgiveness that’s his safe space. Let him grow you, you are God’s field, God’s building. No matter where you are, even standing over your grave and death, wherever you are you are safe. No one can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
What an odd thing to spend a Sunday considering. The purification of Mary and the presentation of Jesus. The scriptures record this event so it is important for us to study it. John wrote “there were many other things that Jesus did these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
St. Paul writes to the pastor Timothy “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
So my goal for us this morning is to pray the Holy Spirit would give us wisdom to know why in the world we are reading about the Purification of Mary and presentation of Jesus?
Mary’s purification teaches us the depravity of our sin, that we are born sinful and unclean. The presentation of Jesus teaches us that he has come to serve God on our behalf and to cleanse us from all sin.
It’s a weird topic, I get it. A woman gives birth and when a child is born there is lots of blood. According to the Old Testament ritual purity laws the Jewish mother not only had to have her son brought to the temple for circumcision on the eighth day but then forty days after birth a sacrifice is offered on behalf of the mother to make her ritually clean.
You see after a woman gives birth she is considered ritually unclean. She is unclean because of all the blood. Whenever blood was in the wrong place or someone else’s blood touches you, whoever the person who was touched by it was considered unclean and could not be in the temple. Whenever blood is not where it is supposed to be God’s law says this is not right.
That’s what the law of God does it tells us something is not right. If you are one of those people who is squeamish when you see blood you know what I mean. WE aren’t supposed to see blood. We know its there in our bodies and when it’s doing it’s job we are not too worried. But hit an artery and it’s a fountain of all kinds of wrong.
Get hit too hard and you see it in a bruise. A bruise would disqualify a man from entering the temple. The law of God takes no prisoners. Even if your blood was shed or you contracted a disease of no fault of your own God’s law says you need to be cleansed. The ten lepers you remember, they were living outside the town, quarantined like they had Coronavirus. God’s law said, unclean. God does not care if it offends you when his law calls you ritually unclean. God’s law is brutal. The law doesn’t hold any punches. The law is like that television doctor from a couple of years ago, “House MD.” He had no bedside manners. He told you exactly how it is, he didn’t care if it offended you. He may be offensive but he was honest and that meant he knew how to cure you. The law says there is none righteous.
The temple would offend most of us because of the amount of blood and the smell. Police officers, firemen, soldiers, they all say similar things when they find a crime scene with a lot of blood, the smell. I’m told you never forget it. Well the temple, where we find ourselves in our gospel reading today would have PETA in an uproar if they could even stomach the smell to get close enough to see.
The sacrifices date all the way back to the garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve at from the tree they knew they had done evil. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. However fig leaves do not have blood, they are not human. Fig leaves were not an acceptable sacrifice to make up for what mankind had done. God found them and made the first sacrifice. Animal skin to cover Adam and Eve’s shame.
Can you imagine the scene? Adam and Eve had not seen shed blood to this point. Then right in front of them God takes an innocent animal – sheds it’s blood. Most of us probably remember the first time we saw death. Now death is regular, but it was never part of God’s creation.
Consider the contrast. Here is the temple of God, the most holy of holy places and it was covered in blood. This the place of sacrifice. Because sin has entered the world that which was glorious is now offensive. Since mankind has rebelled against his Lord by sin, even shedding the blood of one another in anger. Day in and day out, twice a day everyday sacrifices to pay for the sins of the people. The temple was offensive. Sacrifices, blood dripping off the altar running down onto the floor.
It is an intentional scene. It is suppose to be offensive to your sensibilities. When you would think your sin not so bad close your eyes and consider the worst crime scene imaginable and then see your fingerprints everywhere.
When a woman gave birth to a child God’s law said, “You are ritually unclean. You cannot be in the presence of God.” Remember God also said after the fall that because of sin now childbirth is difficult, painful, bloody. This ritual uncleanliness was a temporary thing of course after a sacrifice was made. God demanded a lamb but if the family couldn’t afford a lamb, they offered a pair of doves. This is what Mary and Joseph are doing today. We see they are poor but they still offer the required sacrifice. Mary would now be able to return to life in the temple. But what about the child?
40 days after birth the mother and father would sacrifice for the mother’s uncleanliness. Many think this refers to the forty days and nights that it rained for the Flood when God was cleansing the earth. At this time the non-Levitical family also redeemed, or purchased their first born son from serving God as a priest in the temple. The people paid this redemption price as a remembrance that God redeemed his people from Egypt. The Israelites owed God their firstborn for him rescuing them because they couldn’t rescue themselves. God though gave them a way to purchase their firstborn back, pay five shekels of silver. Purchased from the law, the number five.
Before Luke mentions the completion of the law a man named Simeon comes and says my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared. That’s sacrificial language taking us back to Eden. The first sacrifice God prepared and offered. Now we have a first born, being given by God himself, prepared and now offered. He is without blemish. But you notice that Luke doesn’t mention the five pieces of silver required to purchase the son from priestly service. Luke may be teaching us about the priestly role of Jesus who is also the sacrifice.
This is why our Old Testament reading is from the dedication of Samuel as a priest. Today Jesus is presented but not redeemed from service to God. In fact Jesus will give himself as the price for your sins. The blood you’ve shed of your brothers or sisters by murdering them in your heart. The stench of your sins follows you. But you know we don’t literally smell our sins but if you’re anything like me I can’t stand the stench after an argument with someone.
We can’t smell our sins but to God they are unbearable. So he sent his Son Jesus to be the temple. To be the place where your sins are dealt with. Consider the contrast, the most holy one of God covered in your sins. And this temple Jesus was covered in blood but not your blood but his holy precious and innocent blood. It was our sins that God placed on him and they didn’t bruise him but killed him. He was a stench to his father so you would be forgiven. You are innocent of all crimes.
He who knew no sin became sin for us that we would be the righteousness of God. The crime scenes in your life whitewashed. Jesus was the sacrifice from Eden. The innocent lamb. And you and I and all who believe and are baptized are covered in his innocence.
His blood now has been spilled for you. His blood doesn’t make us unclean but his blood now cleanses us from our sins. The opposite. We drink his sacrificial blood! Strange, yes. Even to some offensive. But God is not incumbered by our sensitivities.
Many are offended by the blood of the Lamb because they think their blood isn’t corrupted by sins. But here the priest and sacrifice cleanses you completely by believing his words, given and shed for you.
Mary’s purification teaches us the depravity of our sin, that we are born sinful and unclean. The presentation of Jesus teaches us that he has come to serve God on our behalf and to cleanse us from all sin.